Edwin + Matilda, Laurence Fearnley

I wonder why Edwin's mother left him - why his mother left and mine stayed? I mean, which is more damaging - the mother who tells you she loves you and leaves, or the mother who calls you stupid and stays? This beautifully written novel is about finding love in the most unlikely of places. It is set in the southern South Island, and it describes the unusual bond formed between sixty-two-year-old photographer Edwin and twenty-two-year-old Matilda, as their relationship grows in ways neither could possibly have predicted. - Back cover

I wonder why Edwin's mother left him - why his mother left and mine stayed? I mean, which is more damaging - the mother who tells you she loves you and leaves, or the mother who calls you stupid and stays? This beautifully written novel is about finding love in the most unlikely of places. It is set in the southern South Island, and it describes the unusual bond formed between sixty-two-year-old photographer Edwin and twenty-two-year-old Matilda, as their relationship grows in ways neither could possibly have predicted. - Back cover